Go to School

For this branch, I decided to make it so Azusa is a first-year, and the rest of the main cast is in their second year. Canonically, Azusa is a year behind the rest of the girls (and Japan has three years in high school, so the terms 'Freshman' and 'Senior' are a bit iffy), so the note on the previous chapter didn't make a lot of sense.

After Mom parked the car, we made our way into the school.

"You kids know how this works, right?" she asked. "You go in, look at your name in the roster, and you'll see your homeroom. They'll hand out your schedules then."

"We get it," I replied.

"Well, I'm going to have to be in the second year class," my sister, Athena, replied.

"I see," I said. "Let's go."

I was slightly nervous about entering a formerly all-girls school. Even now that they've opened their doors to men, things would be awkward. The two years above me would still all be women (the school forbid men from transferring into the higher classes, only allowed them as incoming first-years), and still with 50 men accepted, there would be 150 girls in our class alone.

I sighed and walked in after my mother and sister. Surrounding me in the corridor was a swarm of women. Sure, I could pick out maybe three or four boys in there, but the school was still 90% female. And of course, I felt a lot of eyes gazing onto me and both positive and negative comments made about me and the other boys.

"why are they doing this now?" a voice said. "Why men now?"

"There are so few of them, but I feel that makes it worse."

"You know, I don't really mind. Shame they're only in the first years, though. And that there's so few of them."

I tried to make my way to the homeroom assignment chart. Looking down the chart, I saw Alex Hansen, class 1-2.

I made my way through the swarm of students to locate the classroom and sat down in an empty seat. I still had a good five minutes before class would start, so I reached for my phone.

"Dammit, forgot it," I said. But inside, I felt the box of earrings that I had stuffed in there earlier. I realized that I never really got a good look at them; when I got them I just kind of threw them onto the dresser without really paying it any attention.

I pulled the box out of my pocket and opened it to looked at them. They looked like the letter N, both golden.

"Hello," a girl said, sitting down at the seat next to me. "What's your name?"

I looked at her. She was a short girl with her long, black hair in two pigtails.

"Hi, I'm Alex Hanson."

"Azusa Nakano." she replied. We shook hands.

"Isn't it a bit weird to be attending a school that's ninety percent girls?" Azusa asked.

"It definitely is."

"What brought you here? Sakura High isn't exactly the best school in the city. It's not just to be around us girls, right?"

"What? No. I've moved here from England, and my mom got a teaching position here. My sister also goes here, though she transferred to an upper class. It's convenient to have everyone in one place, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Azusa replied. "Who's your mother? What's your last name?"

"Hanson," I replied. "She's here as the English teacher."

"What's in your hands?"

"Oh, these?" I asked. "These are some earrings I got yesterday. Haven't tried them on yet. They do look a little weird to me."

"They look fine," Azusa said. "I doubt anyone will say anything about them."

I shrugged and put them onto my ears.

"How do I look?"

"It looks fine," she said, with a monotone tone.

"Doesn't sound like it..."

Then, another student sat next to me and Azusa. "Hi, I'm Ui Hirasawa."

"Alex Hanson," I replied.

"I'm Azusa Nakano."

"My sister's an upperclassman here." she said. "I never expected they'd let boys in here so soon, though."

"I don't really have anything important to say about that," I said.

The teacher then walked into the room. "Hello, new students," She said. "Welcome to Sakuragaoka High! I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. My name is Ms. Tanaka."

"Some basic things about the school that you should know," she said. "Just the basics. Every day begins with homeroom, so you all need to meet me here at 8:00 sharp, where we will give important announcements, info, and paperwork. Of course, we have basic rules. Always wear your uniform unless informed otherwise, no bullying, be respectful, don't do ****, use common sense. We do not do free school lunch here, so you do have to bring your own money."

I dug through my pockets. I didn't have any money. I sighed, hoping that maybe someone would be willing to cover me.

The rest of the period was the teacher giving basic information about the school, and they were off to class. But because it was the first day, most of class was spent giving out syllabuses and information about the courses.

Then lunchtime came. The school apparently didn't have free lunch, so I would have to ask someone for money.

Then I saw Athena walking around. "Thena!" I shouted. "Do you have any spare cash?"

"No, I only have enough to cover myself." she said. I sighed and walked away. "Azusa! Ui! Do you have any cash you could spare?"

"Sorry, I only have exact change," Ui said. "I'd give it to you if I did."

"I don't have anything. I always bring my own lunch."

I sighed. "If only it was normal for me to get free lunch,"

"What are you doing?" Ui asked. "Why don't you get your lunch? Are you not hungry?"

"What?" I replied. "I just asked you if you had spare lunch money. Doesn't that imply that I don't have any money either?'

"You don't need money." Ui said.

"Did you pay for your food?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you saying that I don't need to pay?"

"Just because." she said. She didn't look like she was joking.

"Just because what?" I asked.

She shoved some rice in her mouth. "Because you're you."

"I don't understand why you're so confused, Alex," Azusa replied. "Just go up there and get some food."

"Everyone else is paying for their food right now." I said.

"So?"

I sighed. "Fine. I'll go up there and ask them."

I walked up to the lunch lady. "Hi, I don't have any money, is there a way that we can do like an IOU thing, or something where I can pay it back later?"

"No," she replied. "Just take your food."

"I just said I don't have money."

"You don't have to pay. Take the food."

I took the food and walked away. I wasn't going to turn away a free lunch, but I was completely and utterly confused. There, I sat down next to Ui and Azusa.

"That was weird," I said.

"What was?" Azusa replied.

"Is there like a system where you just take the food and it gets added to a record that you pay back later?"

"No? I don't think they have anything that complex," Ui said. "My sister always had to pay."

"Then why didn't I have to pay?"

"Because you're you." Azusa said.

"I don't have to pay just because I'm me?" I asked. They nodded. I expected them to have some hint of stifled laughter on their faces, but they looked at me completely seriously.

I sighed and began eating. Whatever. Nothing made sense anymore.

"I have to use the bathroom," I said, standing up and making my way out of the cafeteria. I found a newly-labelled men's bathroom as I entered and did my business before looking at myself in the mirror.

"Man, these earrings look so out of place," I said. "I can't believe Azusa said It looked fine."

I took them off and opened up the box they came in before noticing the bottom lifted up to reveal some space underneath. I lifted the false bottom to see a slip of paper.

Normality Earrings

- The wearer of these earrings can alter what the world perceives as normal.

- The Command Earring can alter what the world perceives as normal by using the word "normal" in a sentence such as: "It's normal for everyone to worship me as a god".

- The Self Earring makes any actions the wearer does become normal to anyone who witnesses them.

- No one will notice the earrings unless it's specifically pointed out.

- The earrings will gain more power the more they're used, and the power levels are categorized in "stages". Specific stages can be disabled by flicking a lever on the bottom of the earring box.

- Stage 1 only allows cognitive manipulation, and the physical world itself will not change. If you say "It's normal for Tom to walk instead of driving," Tom will begin walking every day, and he may believe he has always walked everywhere, but nothing will physically change.

- Stage 2 allows retroactive cognitive manipulation, and the physical world may change. If you say "It's normal for Tom to walk instead of driving" with retroactive manipulation, Tom's car may disappear because he had no reason to ever own one.

- Stage 3 allows reality manipulation. If you say "It's normal for Tom to be able to fly", he'll be able to. You'll essentially have the power of a god.

"Wow," I said, putting the earrings back in. That was unbelievable, but it did line up with what happened in the cafeteria. "Hmm..." I said. "I'm alone right now... no one would be able to hear me... how should I test it?"